gelcoat

[kona151]

ive read so much ive confused my self. can you get gelcoats in different colors

[vnemous]

You buy white and a tint kit for small repairs. Companys like spectrum can sell it to you by the gallon already the color of your boat if you give them the serial number.

[mr_velocity]

I did a white base coat followed by clear gel with red pigment added, gave a really deep look to the gel after 4 coats.

[boatnut62]

spectrum is a large supplier of gelcoats. how ever even if you use the hull id number the color you get may be off and need tinting. a good tint kit is a must for repair work. or having a stock of primary colors of gelcoat is always good. but costly for a single boat. if you are doing a whole boat they have a sample card with many options. i have done gel repair for a living for several years and very few times have i ordered factory colors that are right on. Doing my own I have gone to automotive finishes. Todays paint technology has produced very durable finishes that hold up very well and when doing a complete boat, custom graphics are much easier and the time spent sanding all that gel is eliminated. And there is virtually no yellowing that ever occures as does in gel coats. Especially in clears over flakes.

[kona151]

if i used automotive paint what is the best to use. ijust want white and orange for colors. ive also read you can roll the paint on which surprised me but if it works, whats the difference between spraying and rolling as far as looks

[boatnut62]

you can roll gelcoat and do ok but the result is going to be three times the work and twice the materials. and for auto paint. i dont believe that rolling it would be a good idea at all. but thats just me. do it right and do it once. i would use a base coat clear coat. auto finishes make break lines on stripes easier than gelcoat. consult your local supplier for paint. as for the clear the more your willing to pay the better clear you will get. keystone aotumotive has a key euro clear that is pretty durable for a good price 100 bucks a gallon. it is user friendly and flashes rather quickly. they also have some products that go up to 800 per gallon and some in between and they are extremely tough. if you need to cut and buf you need to do it in the first 48 hours or you cant even sand these. its up to you and your pocket book. personally i use the lesser of these. and have never had any problems.